1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to actuator assemblies and, more particularly, to an actuator assembly for operation of sliding doors to open and close the outlet apertures of the railway car employed to deliver ballast material to the track bed of a railway track.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,372 issued Nov. 17, 1992 to Galvan et al. shows an actuator assembly for operation of sliding doors of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,822 issued Jun. 19, 1984 to Fischer.
The Galvan et al. actuator includes a first and second torque transfer lever means, a pivot arm, a pressure fluid actuated motor, a means for carrying the motor, and means for immobilizing the first and second torque transfer means. The addition of such a number of accessories to the existing Fischer construction adds substantial weight and complexity to the existing device. Addition of such accessories is also expensive and durability has not been established. Thus, those experienced in the art of rail car actuator means have continued to search for a solution to the problem of automating existing gate assembly units.